Emma Vyssotsky
Encyclopedia
Emma Vyssotsky born Emma T. R. Williams in Media
, Pennsylvania
was an American
astronomer
.
in astronomy from Harvard College
in 1930. She spent her career at the McCormick Observatory
of the University of Virginia
, where her speciality was the motion of star
s and the kinematics
of the Milky Way
.
She married the Russia
n-born astronomer Alexander N. Vyssotsky
in 1929. They had one son, Victor A. Vyssotsky
(a mathematician
and computer scientist
), who was involved in the Multics
project and creator of the Darwin computer game.
She was awarded the Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy
by the American Astronomical Society
in 1946.
Media, Pennsylvania
The borough of Media is the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and is located west of Philadelphia. Media was incorporated in 1850 at the same time that it was named the county seat. The population was 5,533 at the 2000 census. Its school district is the Rose Tree Media School District...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
Biography
She received a Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in astronomy from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1930. She spent her career at the McCormick Observatory
McCormick Observatory
The McCormick Observatory is one of the astronomical observatories operated by the Department of Astronomy of the University of Virginia and is situated just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia in Albemarle County on the summit of Mount Jefferson . It is named for Leander J...
of the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, where her speciality was the motion of star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s and the kinematics
Kinematics
Kinematics is the branch of classical mechanics that describes the motion of bodies and systems without consideration of the forces that cause the motion....
of the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
.
She married the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-born astronomer Alexander N. Vyssotsky
Alexander N. Vyssotsky
Alexander Nikolayevich Vyssotsky was an astronomer. Vyssotsky was born in Moscow, Russia, and received his master degree from Moscow State University....
in 1929. They had one son, Victor A. Vyssotsky
Victor A. Vyssotsky
Victor A. Vyssotsky, son of the astronomers Alexander N. Vyssotsky and Emma Vyssotsky is a mathematician and computer scientist. He was one of the team member of Multics project. Multics, whilst not particularly commercially successful in itself, directly inspired Ken Thompson to develop...
(a mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
), who was involved in the Multics
Multics
Multics was an influential early time-sharing operating system. The project was started in 1964 in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
project and creator of the Darwin computer game.
She was awarded the Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy
Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy
The Annie Jump Cannon Award in Astronomy is awarded annually by the American Astronomical Society to a woman resident of North America, who is within five years of receipt of a Ph.D., for distinguished contributions to astronomy or for similar contributions in related sciences which have immediate...
by the American Astronomical Society
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC...
in 1946.